When you’re hot, you’re hot. And the Oakland Athletics are, you guessed it, hot. The club won its eighth-consecutive game on Sunday afternoon with a 3-2 walk-off victory against the Tigers, sweeping the four-game set.
Entering the bottom of the ninth tied 2-2, first baseman Matt Olson popped one up, but the Tigers center fielder lost the baseball in the sun and the ball hit the grass as Olson strolled into second base. Olson was the winning run when Mitch Moreland had his second game-winning at bat of the season, though the play was officially ruled an error.
And for good reason. It was a ball that would be an out on a normal play, but Moreland used the velocity of Tigers pitcher Gregory Soto to his advantage, putting the bat on the ball and living with the results. When you’re on a roll, it often involves making your own luck.
Manager Bob Melvin is singing a much different tune than earlier in the season; the A’s lost their first six games, in the worst start in Oakland Athletics history.
βWe feel pretty good about the way weβre playing right now,β manager Bob Melvin said. βWe werenβt getting a ton of good swings. But as long as weβre close, we feel like we find a way to win the game.β
San Francisco Chronicle
And that’s baseball for ya. It wasn’t long ago the Athletics were down in the dumps.
But it’s a long season, and six games will rarely make or break a club. When the losses start the season, however, it’s very noticeable and bad for the team’s morale. Melvin has pulled his team out of that mindset though, and times are good again. The A’s will look to keep rolling against the Twins, pending Covid-19 tests on the Twins’ end. The series could start with a doubleheader on Tuesday.
(Photo courtesy Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports)
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